By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – After marching to its third regular-season title last fall, Central Washington was selected by the Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball coaches as the favorite to defend its title in the 2025 preseason poll.
 
The Wildcats, who went 18-7 overall and cruised to a 16-2 record in league play in 2024, received 8 of 10 first-place votes and 97 total points to top the preseason poll. Simon Fraser, which tied for second in 2024 at 13-5 in conference play, was a distant second with 84 points. The Red Leafs and third-place Western Washington (79 points) each received one of the other two first-place votes.
 

2025 GNAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank	Team (1st Place Votes)	Points	2024 Record	2024 GNAC Record (Finish)
1	Central Washington (8)	97	18-7	16-2 (1st)
2	Simon Fraser (1)	84	17-9	13-5 (T2nd)
T3	Western Washington (1)	79	12-12	11-7 (4th)
T3	Alaska	79	21-7	13-5 (T2nd)
5	Alaska Anchorage	58	16-12	10-8 (T5th)
6	Western Oregon	44	15-12	7-11 (7th)
7	Northwest Nazarene	39	9-17	6-12 (8th)
8	Seattle Pacific	37	10-16	10-8 (T5th)
9	Saint Martin's	21	6-20	4-14 (9th)
10	Montana State Billings	10	7-21	0-18 (10th)
Points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

 

The Wildcats claimed their first GNAC crown since winning back-to-back titles in 2004-05, running away with the league title by three games ahead of the Red Leafs and Alaska Nanooks who tied for second last season. The Wildcats lost only one road match last fall and earned the conference’s automatic berth into the NCAA West Region Championships. Advancing to the regional tournament for the 12th consecutive season, CWU fell in five sets to No. 4 seed Point Loma in the opening round last December. Mario Andaya, the 2024 GNAC Coach of the Year, begins his 30th season in charge of the Wildcats holding a career record of 470-307 (.604) since taking the reigns in 1996. In his 24 seasons coaching within the GNAC, Andaya has the second-most total wins (408) and conference wins (288) in league history.
 
CWU bid farewell to a pair of 2024 All-Americans in middle blocker Emma Daoud-Hebert and libero Hannah Stires, who completed stellar careers last fall. Daoud-Hebert finished fourth in GNAC history with 488 total blocks and fifth with 1.33 blocks per set. Stires accumulated the seventh-most digs in GNAC history (1,988), and her 4.93 digs per set ranked 10th in the conference all-time. Returning to the lineup are a pair of all-conference players in senior outside hitter Scottie Ellsworth and junior outside hitter Ellie Marble. Ellsworth, a 2023 GNAC first-teamer, averaged 2.03 kills per set last fall while playing in all 25 matches. Marble claimed honorable mention all-league in 2024, after ranking 10th in the conference with 2.75 kills per set. Also back for CWU is sophomore setter Kayleigh-Shay Chang, who ranked fourth in the GNAC with 6.44 assists per set as a true freshman.
 

Head coach Gina Schmidt led Simon Fraser to a tie for second place in last year’s GNAC standings and SFU picked up its third NCAA regional berth after going 17-9 overall. Beginning her 13th season piloting the program, Schmidt ranks fifth on the

GNAC conference wins chart at 124-84 (.596) in league play and 174-120 (.592) overall since her tenure began in 2013. The Red Leafs will have to replace All-American and 2024 GNAC Player of the Year Brooke Dexter, who led the league with 3.90 kills per set last season. First-team all-conference returner Davida Hill had a breakout campaign and is back in the lineup after ranking fifth in the league with 3.01 kills per set in 2024. Senior setter Eva Person, who earned first-team and GNAC Setter of the Year after leading the GNAC with 8.76 assists per set, and junior libero Macyn Unger, who was honorable mention after ranking third with 4.49 digs per set, each also return for SFU.

 

Western Washington overcame a slow start in 2024 and played its way to a fourth-place finish in the conference standings at 11-7 in league play (12-12 overall). Diane Flick-Williams is the winningest coach in conference history, amassing a record of 508-140 (.784) overall and 358-60 (.856) in league play since the GNAC was formed in 2001. Her 25-year career dates back to 2000, and she enters the season with a career record of 518-137 (.791) to her name. The Vikings return the most talent of any GNAC team in 2025, with three all-conference performers back in the lineup. Devyn Oestreich, a first-team pick in 2024, was fifth in the GNAC with 3.54 points per set including 2.80 kills per set and 3.73 digs per set. Delaney Speer garnered honorable mention with 2.52 kills per set and 3.26 digs per set, and Emily Vossenkuhl was an honorable mention after propelling the defense with 1.01 blocks per set while swinging at .260.
 
Tying WWU for third in the preseason poll was Alaska, which also claimed 79 points in the voting. The Nanooks tied the program record for victories in 2024, going 21-7 overall and tying Simon

Fraser for second in the league standings at 13-5. In 10 seasons leading the team, Brian Scott has accumulated the 10th-most conference wins (70-96) since the league was formed and is 119-137 (.465) overall. Alaska will have to replace 2024 All-American Karli Nielson, who was second in the GNAC with 3.48 kills per set. Fellow first-teamer Rilee White, who finished her career with 1,003 kills, 1,057 digs and a GNAC-record 217 aces, will also leave a void. Senior setter Ainsley Smith and senior right side Elena Guc were each honorable mentions in 2024 who are back this season. Smith was third in the GNAC with 1.90 assists per set while Guc averaged 2.35 kills per set and swung at .243. Look for junior libero Tessa Onaga to be another difference maker, after she ranked fifth in the league with 4.09 digs per set in 2024.
 
Alaska Anchorage was projected fifth in the preseason poll with 58 points, after tying for fifth place in last year’s standings. In her second season in charge, alumnus Stacie Meisner led her team to a record of 16-12 overall including 10-8 in conference play in 2024. The Seawolves welcome two-time honorable mention outside hitter Tia Allen back to the lineup for her senior campaign. Allen contributed 2.35 kills per set and 2.98 digs per set in 2024. Also returning is libero Madison Galloway, who ranked sixth in the conference with 4.07 digs per set. The lone all-conference departure from UAA’s lineup was 2024 first-team outside hitter Katie Birtcil.
 
Looking to turn the corner into the upper half of the GNAC standings this year is Western Oregon, which was slated sixth in the preseason poll with 44 points. Now in his fourth season leading the team, Kaiao Nahale-a helped his Wolves go 15-12 overall and 7-11 in conference play to take seventh place. Maela Honma is the top statistical returner to the WOU lineup, after posting 2.51 kills per set and 2.68 digs per set in 2024. Two-time first-team all-GNAC outside hitter Madison Hornback and honorable mention pick Bailee Hartsook are the Wolves’ key departures from a season ago.
 
Right behind WOU with 39 points in the preseason poll was Northwest Nazarene, which was projected for a seventh place finish this season. The Nighthawks welcome back 2024 honorable mention outside hitter Abby Black, who finished last season eighth in the league with 2.85 kills per set. NNU’s biggest loss from last year was first-team outside hitter Maren

(Dent) Machado, who completed her collegiate career. NNU is under the guidance of 13th-year head coach Doug English, whose 117 conference wins are sixth-most in GNAC history. Since taking command in 2013, English has led NNU to an overall record of 175-136 (.563) and he captured the 2014 regular-season title along the way.
 
Projected eighth in the preseason poll with 37 points was Seattle Pacific, after going 10-16 overall and 10-8 in league play to tie for fifth in last year’s standings. Jason Rhine is in his fourth season leading the squad, holding an overall record of 45-34 (.570) including a league mark of 37-17 (.685). Rhine led the Falcons to the GNAC title in the fall of 2023. Three-time All-American Hannah Hair – the GNAC’s all-time leader with 629 blocks – will leave the biggest void upon her graduation last year. SPU will also have to replace 2024 first-team setter Emily Tulino, who was second in the GNAC with 8.09 assists per set, and three-time all-conference middle blocker Allison Wilks. Junior libero Christina Lopez is back after ranking fourth in the conference with 4.10 digs per set in 2024.
 
Saint Martin’s earned 21 points in the preseason poll for ninth place and will be under new leadership in 2025 with the arrival of first-year head coach Haley Domeck. Emily Garten projects as a key returning piece for the Saints, after averaging 2.51 kills per set and leading the league with 0.54 aces per set in 2024. SMU’s biggest departure was senior middle blocker Jennifer Soha, who earned honorable mention all-conference last fall. The Saints went 6-20 overall and were 4-14 in GNAC matches to place ninth in 2024.
 
Completing the preseason poll in 10th place with 10 points was Montana State Billings. The Yellowjackets were 7-21 overall and 0-18 in league matches last year and will welcome new head coach Scott Keister to take charge of the team this season. Christine Funk, a senior in 2024, will leave the biggest gap after breaking the school record and finishing 12th in GNAC history with 1,778 career digs. Jordin Taulua is the team’s top returner after ranking sixth in the conference with 2.97 kills per set in 2024.
 
The 2025 regular season officially kicks off on Aug. 28 with both Alaska and Alaska Anchorage competing in a tournament hosted by UAA at the Alaska Airlines Center. The 18-match league schedule begins on Sept. 18 and runs through Nov. 22. The GNAC regular-season champion earns the conference’s automatic berth into the 2025 NCAA West Region Championships, which will run Dec. 4-7 at campus sites. The complete 2025 GNAC volleyball schedule can be viewed online here.